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Sunday, June 22, 2014

Myungbo: We expect Algeria to attack

Korea Republic are braced for what coach Hong Myungbo believes Algeria will be a far more potent attacking force when the teams meet in the FIFA World Cup™ on Sunday in Porto Alegre.

TheTaeguk Warriors hold the edge after picking up a point in their 1-1 draw with Russia in the first round of games, while Algeria, beaten 2-1 by group favourites Belgium, will be heading home with another loss.

"Algeria defended well [against Belgium] but I don't think they'll play the same way against us," Myungbo said. "They've got a lot of excellent forwards, they are very quick, these are very dynamic players. "Their three strikers are really rapid, with good individual technique, so when there are duels we have to reduce their opportunities."

Myungbo, a national icon back home after skippering Korea to fourth place in 2002, was also wary of the Algerians' midfield. "They like to press hard, we have to resist this pressure and play in space as one should," he said.

The former Los Angeles Galaxy player, who hasn't yet decided on a starting line-up for Sunday's game, says he will be sending his team out to take three points.

"I can't predict the result," he said. "But what I can say is that we're going to play to win, because we absolutely have to win to hope to reach the next round. We want to score first...our players are going to try to convert [chances], but we'll have to be patient. We're going to have opportunities - the key to the game will be if we can convert these into goals."